Device for burning liquid fuels



May 17, 1932. w, c COLEMAN 1,858,264

DEVICE FOR BURNING LIQUID FUELS Filed Nov. '7, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l Z7Z5 Z0 1N VENTOR 11/282 6 Coiemazz 6 ATTbR/VEY y 1932- w. c. COLEMAN1,858,264

DEVICE FOR BURNING LIQUID FUELS Filed Nov. '7, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR z/Zzam 6- Coleman ATTORNEY Patented May 17, 1932 UNETED STATESWILLIAM C. COLEMAN, F WICHITA, KANS STOVE CGMIPA NY, or wicr-rrrn,Knives PATENT 0 FFE'QE DEVICEMFOR BUENIN'G LIQUID FUELS Applicationfiled. November This invention relates to a liquid hydrocarbon burningdevice which, for the sake of brevity, will hereinafter be called oilburning device with the understanding that it is i: capable of handlingany appropriate liquic fuel. The invention contemplates a device forinitially delivering carbureted air to a vaporizing generator which maydischarge into a burner and aft-er the vaporizing Iii has been heated toa vaporizing temperature,

the supply of carbureted air is cut oil so that thereafter thevaporizing generator is supplied with liquid fuel only. Thus, the burnercan be lighted before the vaporizing generator is heated to vaporizingtemperature, the flame from the burner furnishing the heat for thevaporizing generator so that t will not be necossar; to use a preheateror torch on the vaporizing generator to convert the liquid fuel from theliquid phase :to the vapor phase. In a broad sense this same result isaccon'iplished by the structures shown in the patent'to John E.McCutchen, No. 1,718,473,

patented June 25, 1929, wherein the structure designed to automaticallycut oil the flow of air when the enerator reaches a vaporizingtemperature. r m

My invention d nguishes from the Me- Cutc-hen patentin that the air orliquid will 59 flow in response to a manually controlled valve so thatfor the initial ignition, carbureted air will flow to the burner andthen in response to the valve, liquid only will flow to the generatorand burner.

I have evolved a novel construction of mechanism for controlling thesairand t e liquid flow, the details of which will be apparent by referenceto the following de scription in connection with the accompany- 0 ingdrawings in which:

l -'s view partly in elevation and in section of liquid fuel burning '"eto which my invention is applied. 1g. 2 is a sectional view on the line22 of Figure 1.

3 is a sectional view through part of the secondary container and theair admitting valve.

Fig. at is a view partly in elevation and partly in section through aliquid fuel burnisti or: no

7, 1925). Serial No. 405,330.

ing device showing a modified form of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a like view showing a further modified form of the inventionand Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed view partly in section and partly inelevation of the air admitting valve shown in Figures 4 and '5.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference, 1 designates acontainer to hold liquid fuel under pressure in contact therewith. Theinitial liquid level in the container will preferably be along the line2 to provide an air space 3 above the liquid. A filler cap 4 willnormally close the opening through which the liquid maybe introducedinto the container. The filler cap may have a check valve through whichair may be forced through the head '5 asis common in such devices or abuilt-in pump may be pro- .vided. A liquid supply pipe 6 extends down toa point near the bottom of the container 1 and at its upper end,itcommunicates with a secondary container '7 which in efl'ectis anenlargement of the pipe 6. Obviously, the container 7 is smaller thanthecontainer l and it may be located within or without the container 1.The container 7 is shown as provided with a well 8 below the normalbottom of the container i". The reference numeral 9 designates a valvebody having an inlet port 10 communicating with the air space 3 and :anoutlet port 11 communicating with the secondary container 7. The valvebody is provided with a valve seat 12 upon which the valve 13 may beseated by the expansion spring '14 surrounding the stem 15 and havingone end bearing against the valve and the other against the bottom ofthe valve body. The valve can be unseated'by pressing on the knob 16 toovercome the spring as will clearly be seen by reference to Figure 3.Connected to the top of the primary container '1 is a nipple 17 carryinga ported bracket IL S-communicating with the valve body 19, carrying avaporizing generator '20 and a valve 21 controlled by a valve stem 22.The end 23 of the vaporizing generator discharges into a mixing chamber24 "with which an air tube 25 communicates, the air chamber having oneor more discharge tubes 26 to which the burner or burners, such as amantle or mantles, are attached in the usual way.

Depending from the nipple 17 is a tube 28 extending into the secondarycontainer 7 and surrounded by an outer tube 29 having an air inletorifice 30 above its lower end and a liquid inlet orifice 31 at itslower end. It will be noted that the liquid supply tube 6 extends intothe secondary container 7 above the bottom thereof so that there willalways be liquid in the secondary container 7. hen the parts areassembled in the space 3 on top of it, the liquid will partly fill thecontainer 7. Then, when the operator wishes to burn the fuel, he willpress down upon the button 16 to admit air from the space 3 into thecontainer 7. As the valve 21 is unseated, the air will pass through port30 carrying the trapped liquid in the outer tube along with it throughtube 28, through nipple 17, through ported bracket 18, throughvaporizing generator 20 to the mixing chamber 24 where the combined airand liquid will combine with the air admitted to the mixing chamberthrough air tube 25 to make a rich combustible mixture at the'burner 27.Since the burner 27 is adjacent to the vaporizing generator 20, thevaporizing generator will quickly be heated thereby to a vaporizingtemperature.

It is to be noted that the liquid within the container 7 and the well 8will fiow through port 81 to mainta n the level of the liquid in thetube 8 equal to the level in the container 7 when the device is not inoperation. lVhen the valve controlling the discharge to the burner isopened, the air will flow through port 30 forcing the fuel in tube 29 upthrough the tube 28. This creates a slight hydrostatic pressure on theinlet 31 to cause liquid to flow in. Thisinlet orifice is so ratioed tothe discharge orifice 23 of the vaporizer that the inflow of fuel isinsufiicient for the fuel burner demand but will .supply a limitedamount of liquid fuel to the tubes 28 and 29 which the air entrains toenrich the mixture at the burner. It is also to be noted that theunseating of the valve 9 will equalize the pressure in the containers 1and 7 so that the liquid in the container 7 will flow from container 7'back into container 1 until its level reaches the top of the pipe orconduit 6 before the air starts to flow to the burner. It will beobserved that the airvalve 16 re mains closed after the air pressure inthe two containers is equalized as above set forth. As the compressedair in container 7 flows to the burner through port 30, the fuel fromthe main container 1 flows through pipe 6 into container 7 replacing theair being discharged. lVhen liquid reaches the level of port 30, liquidfuel only will henceforth flow therethrough to the vaporizer. In themeantime, the burning mixture or air and liquid vapor has heated thevaporizer to cause the liquid fuel to vaporize to supply the full demandof the burner. It is evident, therefore, that only the air initiallyadmitted to container 7 is consumed in the lighting process. The valve16 may remain open during the lighting process. 1 do not advise this asit results in larger loss of air during the lighting process. Thecontainer 7 should be sized to contain the amount of air needed so thatone initial opening of the valve 16 before lighting will cause container7 to receive sufficient air to produce an initial combustible mixturebefore the burner has acquired vaporizing heat for liquid fuel.

lVhen the valve 21 is seated to shut off the supply of liquid fuel tothe generator 20, the pressure in container 1' will maintain thecontainer 7 partially filled with liquid for the next operation so whenit is desired to relight the burner. it will be necessary only to pushupon the button 16 to unseat valve 9 to again admit air to the container7 to equalize the pressures in containers 1 and 7. Then, by unseatingthe valve 21, the air impregnated with Wet gas will again be suppl ed tothe burner as above described. It will therefore be apparent that thefuel at the burner can be combusted without first preheating thegenerator and it will also be obvious that the device to which myinvention is applied is merely illustrative of one of its uses, forobviously, it would be equally appl cable to any device in which liquidhydrocarbon fuel is converted from the liquid phase to the vapor phaseand combined with air to make a combustible fuel.

In Figure 4.- I have shown a slightly modified form of the invention inwhich the pri mary container 1 is provided with a secondary container 7with a supply pipe 6' delivering liquid fuel to the secondary container7 but in the form shown in Figure 1, the secondary container 7 isprovided with liquid retaining pans 32 which will trap liquid so thatthe air in its passage over the pans will be enriched. In this form, theair inlet port 38 for the secondary container 7 is supplied from thespace above the liquid in container 1 through a port 3 1 and a plugvalve 35 illustrated in Figure 6. One essential difference between theconstruction shown in Figure 1 and the construction shown in Figure 4 isthat I have shown means for trapping the liquid by suitable retainingmeans to provide a considerable surface over which the air may pass onits way to the burner. Then, too, in the from shown in Figure 1, theliquid inlet orifice for the outer tube 29 is positioned 4 at a pointabove the lower extremity of the tube 29 as shown at 31 so that when thepressures within the primary and secondary containers 1 and 7 areequalized and liquid in the secondary container recedes to the primarycontainer, there will always be enough combustible mixture.

trappediliquid fuel in'the outer tube 29 when the generator valve isunseated to enrich the air and vapor to'make an initial combustiblemixture. It will further be noted that the liquid inlet orifice 31"isab'ove' the lower end ofthe tube 28 so that when the" supply portleading to the burner is closed, the lower end of the tube 28 will besubmerged in the trapped liquid. This is torthe purpose of I insuringsome of the liquid fuel initially go ing over with the air when thevalve- 19- is opened. This I regard as a very effective construction butnot essential to successful operation, forthe fuel rises fromcontainer-'1 when air is discharged from container-7 and quicklysubmergjes the inlet orifice 31, thus supplying the needed liquid tobeentrained with the air.

In- Figure I have shown a further modilied form of the invention inwhich the main container 1 is provided with an elongated secondarycontainer 36 extending down to the bottom of the container 1 andsupplied with liquid through a tube 39. In this" construction, the tube28" corresponds to the tube 28 in Figure 1 and the tube 29 correspondsto the tube 29 in Figure 1. The air is admitted to the secondary chamber36 through a pipe 37 communicating with the air space above the liquidin container 1 through a valve such as isshown in Figure 6. Theoperation of the device as applied to Figure 5 will be substantially thesame as has been described in connection with the structure N shown inFigure 1. That is, air admitted to the secondary chamber'36 will enterthe port 38 and pass down tube 29 admitted through port 40 to the mixingchamber to combine with the air admitted through tube to make acombustible mixture and until the turning plug shuts off the supply ofair, the liquid in secondary chamber 36 will continue to enrich thecarbureted air flowing through the system to maintain an enriched Justas soon as the valve 35 closes communication between the air or vaporspace above the liquid in con tainer 1 and the secondary container 36,the dificrential in pressures between the conta ners 1 and 36 will bereestablished Liquid will flow from the main container into thesecondary container quickly submerging the port 38 and liquid onlywillthen flow to the burner.

I have shown what appears to be at this time, the best embodiment of myinvention and have illustrated alternative structures. Since it isapparent that other modifications may suggest themselves from time totime,

I do not wish to be limited to the exact structural details shown.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A container tohold liquid fuel and-air underpressure in contact therewith, a vapor arycontainer to equalizethe pressures theretocause liquid fuel in thesecondary cen-.

tainer to be replaced by air-and vapour",-- and means associated withthe conduit supplying theburner to cause the air released from: thesecondary container to the burner to entrain portions of liquid fu-elfrom withinthe second'arycontainer to produce a combustible nrinture atthe burner.

22 A container to-hold liquid fuel and air under pressure in contacttherewitl na vapor burner associated with the container, a smallersecondary container to receive the flow of liquid from the fuel space ofthe main container, a conduit communicating the secc-n'dary containerwith the vaporizer 0]? the burner, valved means communicating the airspace ofthe main container with the second"- a-ry container toequalizethe pressures therein, to causeliquid fuel in the secondarycon':- tainer' to be replaced by airand vapor from the main container,and means associated with the conduit supplying the burner to causetheair released from theseconda-ry container tothe burnertoentrainportions of liquid fuel supplied from the main container to produceacombustible mixture at the burner:

31 A; container to hold liquid fuel and" air under pressure in contacttherewith, a vapor burner associated with the container, a smallersecondary container to receive the flow of liquid from the fuel space ofthe main container, a conduit" communicating the secondary containerwith the vaporizer otthe burner, valved means communicating the airspace of the main container'with the secondary container to equalizethepressurestherein, to cause liquid fuel in the secondarycontainer tobe replaced byairand vapor from the main container, and means associatedwith the conduit supplying the burner to cause the air released from thesecondary container to the burner to entrain portions of liquid fuelsupplied from the main container to produce a combustible mixture at theburner, said means having a discharge outlet to the burner-supplyingconduit, said outlet being located toward the lower portion of thesecondary container, a second conduit communicating the discharge outletwith the secondary container, one the conduits having a restricted inletorifice adjacent to the discharge outlet.

4. A container to hold liquid fuel and air under pressure in contactvtherewith, a vapor burner associated with the container,- a smallersecondary container to receive the fiow of liquid from the fuel space ofthe main container, a conduit communicating the secondary container withthe vaporizer of the burner, valved means communicating the air space ofthe main container with the secondary container to equalize thepressures therein, to cause liquid fuel in the secondary container to bereplaced by air and vapor, and means associated with the conduitsupplying the burner to cause the air released from the secondarycontainer to the burner to entrain portions of liquid fuel to produce acombustible mixture at the burner.

5. A container to hold liquid fuel and air under pressure in contacttherewith, a vapor burner associated with the container, a smallersecondary container to receive the flow of liquid from the fuel space ofthe main container, a conduit communicating the secondary container withthe vaporizer of the burner, a valved conduit communicating the airspace of the main container with the secondary container to equalize thepressures therein, to cause liquid fuel in the secondary container to bereplaced by air and vapor, and means associated with the conduitsupplying the burner to cause the air released from the secondarycontainer to the burner to entrain portions of liquid fuel to produce acombustible mixture at the burner, said means having a discharge outletto the burnersupplying conduit, said outlet being located toward thelower portion of the container, a second conduit communicating thedischarge outlet with the secondary container space above the liquidlevel thereof and having a retricted inlet orifice adjacent to thedischarge outlet.

6. A container to hold liquid fuel and air under pressure in contacttherewith, a vapor burner associated V with the container, a smallersecondary container to receive the flow of liquid from the fuel space ofthe main container, a conduit communicating the secondary container withthe vaporizer of the burner, valved means communicating the air space ofthe main container with the secondary container to equalize thepressures therein, to cause liquid fuel in the secondary container to bereplaced by air and Vapor, and means associated with the conduitsupplying the burner to cause the air released from the secondarycontainer to the burner to entrain portions of liquid fuel to produce acombustible mixture at the burner, said means having a discharge outletleading from the lower part of the secondary container space, a conduitcommunicating the discharge outlet with the secondary container spaceabove the discharge outlet, the conduit having two inlets, one beinglocated above the other.

7. A container to hold liquid fuel and air under pressure in contacttherewith, a vapor burner associated with the container, a

smaller secondary container to receive the flow of liquid from the fuelspace of the main container, a conduit communicating the secondarycontainer with the vaporizer of the burner, valved means communicatingthe air space of the main container with the secondary container toequalize the pressures therein, to cause liquid fuel in the secondarycontainer to be replaced by air and vapor, and means associated with theconduit supplying the burner to cause the air released from thesecondary container to the burner to entrain portions of liquid fuelfrom within the secondary container to produce a combustible mixture atthe burner, said means having a discharge outlet to the burner-supplyingconduit, said outlet being located toward the lower portion of the container, a second conduit communicating the discharge outlet with thesecondary container space above the normal liquid level thereof andhaving a restricted inlet orifice adjacent to the discharge outlet.

8. A container to hold liquid fuel and air under pressure incontacttherewith, a vapor burner associated with the container, asmaller secondary container to receive the fiow of liquid from the fuelspace of the main container, a conduit communicating the secondarycontainer with the vaporizer of the burner, valved means communicatingthe air space of the main container with the secondary container toequalize the pressures therein, to cause liquid fuel in the secondarycontainer to be replaced by air and vapor, and means associated with theconduit supplying the burner to cause the air released from thesecondary container to the burner to entrain portions of liquid fuelfrom within the secondary container to produce a con1- bustible mixtureat the burner, said means having a discharge outlet leading from thelower part of the secondary container space, a conduit communicating thedischarge outlet with the secondary container space above the dischargeoutlet, the conduit having two inlets, one being located above theother, the lower inlet being restricted to limit inflow of liquid fuelto less than the normal capacity of the burner, the upper inlet beinglarger to secure a free discharge of air and a liquid discharge adequatefor the full demand of the burner when the air has been consumed.

9. A container to hold liquid fuel and air under pressure in contacttherewith, a vapor burner associated with the container, a smallersecondary container to receive the flow of liquid from, the fuel spaceof the main container, valved means communicating the air space of themain container with the secondary container so that when open, thepressures in the two containers are equalized, to cause liquid fuel inthe secondary container to flow back into the main container to permitcompressed air and vapor to enter the secondary container from the maincontainer, a valved discharge outlet in the secondary containercommunicating the burner therewith, a conduit communicating thedischarge outlet within the secondary container with the space in thesecondary container above the discharge outlet, one of the conduitshaving a restricted inlet orifice to limit the inflow of liquid fueltherethrough to less than the normal capacity of the burner.

10. A container to hold liquid fuel and air under pressure in contacttherewith, a vapor burner associated with the container, a smallersecondary container to receive the flow of liquid from the fuel space ofthe main container, valved means communicating the air space of the maincontainer with the secondary container so that when open, the pressuresin the two containers are equalized, to cause liquid fuel in thesecondary container to flow back into the main container to permitcompressed air and vapor to enter the secondary container from the maincontainer, a valved discharge outlet in the secondary containercommunicating the burner therewith, a conduit communicating thedischarge outlet within the secondary container with the space in thesecondary container above the discharge outlet, one of the conduitshaving a restricted inlet orifice to limit the inflow of liquid fueltherethrough to less than the normal capacity of the burner, and meanswithin the secondary container to retain portions of liquid fuel tocontact the air to add to its fuel value.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

WlLLIAM C. COLEMAN.

